The heat from the flames cut through his body, all the way through to his mind, making it impossible to think. All Phillip could do was continue to lie on the ground, choking on the hot air as he whispered to himself, “I’m not a monster...I’m not a monster…” He shut his eyes, reaching down deep inside himself, searching his broken will for a relief that would not come. “Please, please, tell me I’m not…”

“You don’t have to be,” a voice suddenly spoke, rising above the noise of the fire. Looking up, Phillip was surprised to find Fluttershy standing over him, looking down at him with concern, seemingly unaffected by the flames.

“You’re not the monster that you think you are,” she said, her calm, reassuring voice reverberating inside Phillip’s core.

“How can you know that?” Phillip whispered, looking up at the hallucination.

“Because I’m your friend,” Fluttershy answered gently. “I know there is good in you.” She reached down a hoof to help him up.

Phillip hesitated. He glanced up at his disfigured twin, who was still pacing outside the ring of flames. The harsh gray eyes—his eyes—narrowed at Fluttershy, the flames reflecting within them.

He would hurt her, just like he hurt and corrupted everypony else near him. She would join the multitudes of corpses that had gathered at his hooves if she remained with him.

“Phillip, please,” Fluttershy pleaded, still holding her hoof out. “You have to trust me.”

Slowly, Phillip raised his hoof and took Fluttershy’s. Her touch was cool, her coat soft against his. With surprising strength, she gently pulled him up to his hooves.

Instantly, the monster Phillip snarled and stepped forward, glaring at Fluttershy with an expression of unbridled hatred.

Immediately, instinctively, Phillip stood up, pushing Fluttershy behind him and spreading his forelegs to shield her. “I won’t let you hurt her!” he stated, his voice as firm as steel. And as he spoke those words, he knew they were true. He would not hurt her, could never hurt her or any of his friends.

His monstrous reflection’s face twisted into a sneer and he drew back his hoof. Knowing what was going to happen, Phillip turned and hugged Fluttershy to his chest as tightly as he could. A jet of flame erupted around him, burning every inch of him, roaring in his ears like a bellowing dragon. His nerves all screamed at once, but he gritted his teeth against the pain, continuing to tightly hold Fluttershy, protecting her with his own body.

“You have to make him stop, Phillip!” Fluttershy shouted over the roar of the flames. “You have to make your peace with him!”

Phillip knew that she was right. He knew what he had to do, but he dreaded approaching his tormentor, feared having to face it. “Will you stay with me?” he cried out to her.

She looked up at him, and even in the midst of his fire and brimstone hell, he saw peace in her blue eyes. “Always,” she reassured him, her voice coming from within him, within his heart.

He looked down at her, and felt his resolve harden in his gut. Nodding, he turned and faced his attacker, glaring towards him through the shimmering lights of the twisting, dancing flames. His muscles stiffened, momentarily refusing to move out of sheer fear; but he felt Fluttershy’s precious touch at his back and pushed forward, continuing to shield his friend behind him. Step by step, he moved closer to his target, to himself. The pain increased by the second, the heat scorching his eyes and making it hard to breathe, but he continued to advance. The terror twisted in his chest, but he concentrated on the pegasus behind him, clinging to him as he marched forward.

He would shield her, protect her; and he would do the same as all of his friends, all of his ponies. He loved them. He would not be a monster for them.

As he approached, he saw his reflection’s face change from anger to fear. The other pony backed away, continuing to fire jets of flame as he tried to retreat, but with one final effort, Phillip Finder lunged forward. His forelegs wrapped around his duplicate and he hugged himself tight, embracing him, accepting him. His twin’s hooves dug into his sides, burning him with concentrated heat in an attempt to force him to let go.

“I’m sorry!” Phillip choked out through the pain.

His duplicate tightened within his embrace, lowering his hooves. The heat dissipated away.

“I’m so sorry,” Phillip whispered, begging for the strength to forgive himself.

His other half trembled within his grasp. There was a quiet rumbling of thunder from above and the heavens opened up, releasing a cooling downfall of rain. With a soft hissing, the flames died away. The gentle water on his back eased the pain and cleared the smoke from air. Pulling back, he looked down at the pony in his embrace. A thirteen-year-old blank-flanked colt looked back up at him; the gray eyes, partially hidden behind the black bangs, stared up at him in desperation, silently telling of a horrible pain.

“It’s okay,” he reassured himself. “It’s going to be okay.” He brought the little colt back into his embrace, and he felt Fluttershy’s arms around them both, and he knew that it would be all right. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly.

When he opened them again, Fluttershy and his younger self had both vanished. He was standing in the middle of a large, dark room, surrounded by sets of burnt-out houses and dusty streets. With the clarity of mind, he could see the crude illusion for what it was. But the streams of water running down his face were no hallucination.

But already, Nevermore’s fear toxin was beginning to whisper in his mind once again: doubt crept up behind him like a shadow. Shaking his head, he focused on his one objective: Escape. Find Zipline and Rainbow Dash.

He looked around, only to find that there was no sign of a door or any exit. Of course there wouldn’t be: Nevermore wouldn’t have intended to allow his test subject to leave.

So he’d have to make his own door. Moving to the outer wall, he tapped his hoof against it. It resounded hollow. Grunting in satisfaction, he backed up several feet, lowered his shoulder and charged. With an almighty crash, he burst through the wall. Cold wind and icy rain embraced him; he was back outside the funhouse. Getting back to his hooves, he turned on the spot, wondering which way to turn.

Suddenly, five thunderclaps resounded through the darkness, one right after the other in a staccato rhythm. He whirled around towards the gunshots, his heart leaping to his throat. And then he ran.

It took Zipline several seconds to realize that he wasn’t dead. He slowly opened his eyes, his heart pounding in his ears, and looked up.

Rainbow Dash was still standing in front of him, her eyes shining with terror and remorse. The gun was held in her trembling hoof, pointed several feet away from him; she had jerked the weapon aside as she fired. Slowly, she dropped the gun, which crashed into the mud, and stepped back. Her breath, muffled by the muzzle, came rapid and heavy.

”Hmm. Well, I suppose it was too much to expect that experiment to succeed the first time,” Nevermore mused over the speakers.

“Rainbow,” Zipline called out, trying to reach out to her. “Rainbow, it’s okay…”

”No, Rainbow Dash, it is not okay,” Nevermore interjected. ”I would like to remind you that you do still have a bomb strapped to your neck, after all, so it’d be in your best interest to keep a level head, however hard that might be.”

Zipline’s heart skipped a beat at the word “bomb.” He looked at the collar around Rainbow’s neck, realizing what the box with the blinking red light must be. His eyes were attracted to the faint glimmering of the lock securing the collar to her.

His hoof, still pinned to his side, felt something familiar: the polished wooden grip of his Official Guard. As if a switch had been thrown, his mind instantly stilled and focused. He stared at the lock, calculating distance and trajectory, correcting for wind and bullet drop. His heart rate slowed. His breathing calmed. He knew what he had to do, knew what he was going to do.

“Rainbow,” he commanded, his voice steady. “Hold still.”

In one fluid motion, he drew the pistol, locking back the hammer. He raised his arm, taking aim. The sights lined up perfectly. He could see Rainbow’s eyes over them, widening in shock. Slowly, he squeezed the trigger.

The pistol jerked in his hoof. His bullet sailed true. It carved through the air and struck the lock, snapping it off. The collar fell to the ground. Not a single hair on Rainbow’s mane was harmed.

”No!” Nevermore’s furious voice bellowed. The collar began to beep rapidly, the red light flashing in warning.

Instantly recovering, Rainbow snatched the explosive collar off the ground and tossed it high into the sky not a moment too soon. With a blinding flash and a great roar that shook the sky, the bomb detonated harmlessly. Panting, Rainbow reached up and jerked off the muzzle, letting it fall to the ground as she rushed over to Zipline. “Are you okay?” she croaked out as she started to pull rubble off of him.

“I’m okay, Rainbow,” he assured her. “You—look out!”

Rainbow Dash looked up and immediately kicked backwards, striking the cloaked figure rushing up behind her and sending him sprawling into the mud. Quickly rolling back to his hooves, Nevermore pulled a long serrated knife out of his cloak. “I’ll cut through your neck until I feel bone!” he snarled, leaping at Rainbow Dash. The deadly blade sang through the air, missing Rainbow by inches as she dodged to the side. She grabbed his foreleg with both of her hooves, but he countered by kneeing her in the gut and shoving her away.

Zipline raised his pistol, aiming for Nevermore’s back. But as soon as he displayed the weapon, there was a raspy screech from above. A raven swooped down and snatched Zipline’s pistol out of his hoof, dropping it far out of reach. Lenore then swooped around and dove at Rainbow as she struggled with Nevermore, her sharpened claws prepared for attack. Spotting the incoming raven out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow kicked Nevermore away and swung her hoof out, striking Lenore. The raven tumbled out of the sky and splashed into the mud.

“Leave her alone!” Nevermore screeched in fury. He cut at Rainbow several times in rapid succession, forcing her to cartwheel away. Still pinned beneath the rubble, Zipline could only watch helplessly as his honorary daughter fought for her life.

Nevermore paused in his attack, then lunged forward with a low stab. Rainbow shifted away from the blade, sweeping her foreleg down and sending the weapon spinning away, then raised her leg and kicked, striking Nevermore in the chest. He skidded backwards, collapsing to one knee. Rainbow gracefully whirled around, following up with a spinning kick to Nevermore’s head. He ducked beneath the attack and kicked out, knocking Rainbow’s leg out from beneath her and causing her to sprawl onto the ground. Spreading his wings, he flew over to his dropped knife, snatching it up.

Zipline glanced down and spotted Rainbow’s discarded revolver on the ground near his hoof. “Rainbow!” he shouted, kicking the weapon towards her. She rolled over and grabbed the gun as Nevermore approached, his blade raised for the killing stroke. Rolling over onto her back, Rainbow raised the gun, gripping it tight in both hooves, and fired repeatedly. Five gunshots cracked through the air, one right after another, stopping the cloaked pegasus in his tracks. The gun clicked on empty, but Rainbow kept pulling the trigger for a few seconds before eventually stopping. For a moment, nopony moved. Every eye looked down to Nevermore’s heaving chest.

There was no sign of any wound. No holes, no blood. Nothing. “Wha…?” Rainbow whispered in disbelief.

His red eyes narrowing and his crooked teeth parted in a sneer, Nevermore shook his head at Rainbow. “Blanks, Rainbow Dash. Of course I anticipated that you might fight back.”

His boast was interrupted when Rainbow threw the pistol at him, striking him in the mouth. He staggered back, giving Rainbow enough time to get back to her hooves. Growling, Nevermore attacked again, lunging at her chest. Rainbow deflected the attack to the side; but as the blade passed by, Nevermore dropped the knife, catching it in his other hoof, and cut at Rainbow’s stomach. She pulled back almost too late; the very tip of the blade scraped against her skin. Rainbow lashed out with a roundhouse kick to Nevermore’s ribs, doubling him over, then front kicked him in the chest to stagger him. With a furious yell, she jumped, spun, and kicked out again, striking Nevermore in the head. He flew backwards and collapsed heavily to the ground, groaning. Rainbow stood over him, breathing heavily, trembling from a combination of fatigue, cold and fear.

“You did it, Rainbow!” Zipline cheered. “Now come here and help me out—”

But Rainbow Dash did not seem to hear him. Stalking over to the dropped Guard Official, she snatched it up and walked back to Nevermore. Growling, she raised the gun, aiming it directly between Nevermore’s unfocused eyes. Her hoof did not shake.

“Rainbow, no!” Zipline cried.

Rainbow gritted her teeth in fury, but hesitated. Her grip on the weapon tightened.

“Rainbow, don’t,” Zipline begged her. “He’s beaten. Don’t let him win; prove that you’re better than him.”

Rainbow Dash stared down at Nevermore for several long seconds, continuing to aim the gun steady.

“Please, Rainbow,” Zipline whispered. “Please don’t.”

The anger in Rainbow’s eyes gradually dissipated. Slowly, she lowered her hoof and tossed the gun aside. Moving slowly, like a zombie, she walked over to Zipline and started to pull rubble off of him. As soon as he was free, Zipline stood up and hugged Rainbow to his chest, stroking her back reassuringly. She collapsed into his chest, trembling once more.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he whispered into ear, speaking in the same tone he used to calm Scootaloo when she had awoken from a nightmare. “I’m here now, it’s okay—”

A sudden movement grabbed his attention. Looking up, he saw that Nevermore had regained consciousness and was charging at them both, his knife raised to attack and murder in his blood red eyes. Immediately, he turned while still holding Rainbow Dash to his chest, knowing that he didn’t have time to block the attack…

At that moment, a loud whirring noise pierced the air. Something struck Nevermore’s hoof, disarming him. “What?” he snapped, his head turning to follow the spinning boomerang as it arced through the air and returned to the hoof of its master. Easily catching the boomerang as he ran towards the group, Phillip snapped out his baton and lunged at Nevermore, who was forced to take flight to avoid the attack. He hovered above the group, his slumped posture and heaving shoulders indicating his exhaustion.

“Impossible!” he shouted down at Phillip, who glared up at him. “You were exposed to enough toxin to drive five ponies insane! How did you…?” His voice trailed off as he looked between Phillip and Zipline and Rainbow Dash. Zipline was still shielding Rainbow Dash in his arms, while Phillip had moved close to them, spreading his forelegs wide.

“Of course…” he breathed, realization dawning in his eyes. “Of course. I understand now.” Abruptly, he looked up towards the front gate of the amusement park. Zipline, Rainbow and Phillip heard it as well: the distant wail of approaching sirens, both ambulances and Applewood City Guards. “Star Watcher, time to go.”

At his command, there was a sudden flash and a smoke bomb erupted amidst the group. Coughing and choking, the three ponies clung to one another. The smoke cleared quickly, and everypony looked up in time to catch a glimpse of Nevermore, clutching Lenore to his chest and leaning on Star Watcher for support, before he and his companion disappeared into the clouds.

He had escaped once more, but none of them had the energy to care. Zipline pulled Rainbow into his embrace once more, slowly stroking her mane and quietly shushing her as she shivered. Phillip put his forelegs around them both, simultaneously supporting them and allowing them to support him as the approaching sirens stopped outside the gates.

Scant seconds later, Twilight, Flash, Fluttershy, Starlight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were there, their hooves around them, their voices ringing indistinctly in their ears as they bustled them into waiting ambulances. Blankets were draped over them, paramedics checked their vitals, and warm drinks were pressed into their hooves. It was not until the carriages started to carry them far, far away from the park that any of them felt warm again.

One hour later, Phillip and Zipline were standing in a hospital room at the Starshine Way Hospital, staring silently out the rain-streaked window. Both of them had been patched up for minor injuries and were now waiting for the doctors to finish checking on Rainbow Dash. Thunder rumbled distantly and a flash of lightning flickered across the sky, momentarily illuminating the famous Applewood sign.

“Hey,” Zipline suddenly said, continuing to look forwards instead of at Phillip. “What I said about you in the train...I—”

“No,” Phillip interrupted without looking up. “You were right.” He sighed deeply, then continued a slower, quieter tone. “I got a long look at myself tonight, and I realized that I didn’t like what I saw. I...I’m going to try to fix some things in my life.”

Zipline turned to Phillip, examining his cold, exhausted expression. “Well, if you ever need help, you can count on me to be there for you,” he said, extending a wing and placing it over Phillip, pulling him close to his side. Phillip tensed at the unexpected touch, but slowly relaxed, looking up at him.

“Thank you, Zip,” he said.

“Hey, what’s a buddy for, right?” Zipline grinned.

At that moment, a doctor walked into the room behind him. Both Zipline and Phillip looked up eagerly.

“Rainbow’s all right,” the doctor told them. “She’s dehydrated, exhausted, and has a few minor injuries, but nothing major.”

“Oh, thank God,” Zipline sighed, clutching his chest as if trying to prevent his heart from leaping out.

“We’re going to keep her here overnight for monitoring,” the doctor continued, “but I expect that she’ll be all right...physically, at least.”

“We’ll handle the mental part, doc,” Zipline replied. “Don’t worry, my girl is tough.”

The doctor nodded and exited. Zipline stood up, sighing, his armor rattling. “I’d best go make my report to the sergeant. Then I'll call Ponyville and let Rain know what happened."

Phillip nodded. Zipline briefly embraced him once more before exiting, disappearing down the hallway. Phillip looked out the window for a moment longer, then slowly walked out of the room and down the hallway to Rainbow’s room. Slowly, he peeked into the room.

Rainbow Dash was laying in bed, fast asleep. There was a full pitcher of water and glass on the table next to her; the heart monitor she was hooked up to beeped steadily. Her friends were all gathered around her, most of them asleep. Flash was standing guard next to the door. As Phillip looked in, he looked around and smiled at him. Phillip nodded back, then stepped outside. He sat down in the hallway outside, staring down at the white tile floor. He could faintly hear music coming from a radio in the room down the hallway. He leaned against the wall, suddenly acutely aware of how tired he was. He wanted to sleep, but could not; an uncomfortable squirming in his gut prevented him from lowering his guard.

“Phillip?”

Looking up, Phillip saw Fluttershy exiting the room and approaching him. She sat down next to him and slowly reached out a hoof. He gladly took it and she allowed him to lean against her. Her touch was cool, her coat soft against his. He smiled in relief and closed his eyes. As the last chorus of the song rang in his ears, he finally relaxed and allowed sleep to overcome him.

He would protect them.

And they would protect him.

Author's Notes:

Big chapter, big importance.

We'll wrap this up in the next chapter, but for now, I think it's time for everypony to take a well-deserved rest.